The Compassion Initiative: Just Two Guys in Brisbane talking Compassion. www.thecompassioninitiative.com.au

Dr Tobyn Bell is a psychotherapist, trainer, supervisor and researcher specialising in compassion focused therapy (CFT) and especially the application of chairwork in CFT. In this conversation we discuss Tobyn's journey into CFT,chairwork and how it can be applied to CFT, the research he is doing, and some practical examples, anecdotes and tips along the way. This was a very inspiring conversation...

If you are interested in participating in a compassionate mind training course but you would like to know more about what that entails, this video should give you a sense of all of that. Here I will outline the 8 sessions of CMT. But if you would like more information, or to book, email cmt@psychologyconsultants.com.au TARGETED PLAYLIST LINK: Compassion in a T-Shirt Say hi on social: Facebook: htt...

Last week I did my top five acts of compassion in Star Wars. And I received the suggestion several times that the perfect follow-up was to look for compassion in Thje Lord of the Rings. Written by JRR Tolkien, published in 1954-1955, the adventures of Frodo, Gandalf and their friends is a favourite to many! And it is full of love, friendship, kindness, and compassion. So here are my top five stori...

I have loved Star Wars since Episode 4 was first released in 1977! I still recall the terror I felt at the thought of Darth Vader, his deadly red lightsaber, and that mechanical breathing sound. And so, as a fan of both Star Wars and Compassion, today’s topic seems like a no brainer. Just a quick SPOILER ALERT!! I will be referencing key moments in the Star Wars Saga, so if you don't want to know...

Let’s take a close look at Taylor Swift's recent song Anti Hero. I think it might teach us something about shame and self-loathing, and we might even be able to extrapolate some tips about how to relate to shame in a way that can soften it, just a little. TARGETED PLAYLIST LINK: Compassion in a T-Shirt If you would like to know more about compassion and self-compassion, compassion focused therapy...

Dr James Kirby is the co-director of the Compassionate Mind Research Group at the University of Queensland. He studies the effectiveness of Compassion Focused Therapy interventions in helping with the self-criticism and shame that underpin many depression and anxiety disorders. James also works as a clinical psychologist in private practice. This is his first book. TARGETED PLAYLIST LINK: Compassi...

I recently had a revelation! Our blocks to self-compassion are often outside of our awareness. This might sound obvious to you, but it gave me food for thought. When someone is considering self-compassion, maybe for the first time, but something difficult to identify keeps getting in the way…what is that something? Can we bring it to awareness? Can we work it through and unblock that self-compassi...

A few weeks ago I made a video about affirming strengths as part of compassion. You can see the video here. To be more accurate, that video was emphasising affirming one’s own strengths as part of self-compassion! Last week I made video about compassionate assertiveness. You can see that video here. And I realised that a part of compassionate assertiveness is acknowledging, affirming and appreciat...

Hello Compassionistas! I’m diving deep at the moment into all sorts of ways to practice self-compassion. And one of the best? Compassionate assertiveness! Assertiveness training has a long tradition, but when we come at it from a compassionate motivation, then it is a great way to practice self-compassion AND compassion in one friendly yet clear and honest conversation. It's a win/win in the most...

Here, I interview Jamie Woodhouse from Sentientism.info and the Sentientism Podcast. From his website: "Sentientism is a philosophy or worldview – a way of thinking about what’s real and what matters. Sentientists use evidence and reason to work out what to believe in, so don’t hold supernatural beliefs. Sentientists also have compassion for every sentient being – any being capable of experiencing...

I'm, always looking or new ways to practice self-compassion. And here's another! I've just discovered you can actually text yourself, so why not send yourself some self-compassionate texts. Here are a few I tried today! Give it a try...and let me know what you think. TARGETED PLAYLIST LINK: Compassion in a T-Shirt LINKS: If you would like to know more about compassion and self-compassion, compassi...

Today we will be exploring a daily self-compassion practice known as self-compassion in the mirror! It’s an interesting one, and a powerful one. It can also come along with certain reservations for people. But as we work through those reservations, this daily practice can really make a difference. So, in two steps, we can practice self-compassion in the mirror! TARGETED PLAYLIST LINK: Compassion i...

The Gifts of Compassion...and Making Them Count. This is my Keynote Address at this year's UQ Compassion Symposium, 16 September 2022. We had a wonderful lively audience, a moving Welcome to Country, and I was introduced by my daughter Freya. Then I discussed: 11.38 What is compassion? 17.27 Definition and qualities 23.13 Life lessons across three flows 35.10 Fears, blocks and resistances 40.49 Le...

Tone is so important in conveying both feeling and meaning. Often, the tone of our self-talk can be harsh, hostile, critical or condemning. We can attack ourselves, dig the boot in, cut ourselves no slack what-so-ever. We think this’ll motivate us, keep us on track, stop us from being lazy, self-indulgent or lax, stop us from making mistakes. But a harsh, critical voice tone actually, mostly, does...

Life isn't easy. There can be difficulties and demands that can keep us up at night! So what to do? You can try writing a compassionate letter. But sometimes people ask me, "But what do I say? What do I write?" So, in this video, I will show you five compassionate letters that I wrote to myself over the last week. They're not perfect, they're not meant to be! I'm just hoping they give you a bit of...

I was facilitating session 3 of the compassionate mind training course last week, and we were talking about the compassionate self taking compassionate action in response to suffering in others or ourselves. I often speak about three key elements to consider: validation, reassurance and encouragement. But someone in the group mentioned the importance of affirmation, and self-affirmation, and I tho...

Last week I spoke about how enemies can be our best teachers of compassion…they give us the most trouble, and so if we truly wish to practice compassion, then they give us an important opportunity to do so. But I was thinking, there are also enemies of compassion itself. Some of them are near enemies, wolves in sheep clothing, and some of them are far enemies, aspects to human nature that take us...

In today’s video, I’ll explore how compassion might help with the day to day battles we find ourselves in with people who give us trouble, our so called enemies. In fact, we can think of it in this way. It’s not really those who we already like or love, and love quite easily, that help us to practice our compassion. Obviously, we want to be compassionate towards our friends and loved ones too, but...

Compassion is a good thing! But our compassion is not boundless. And it’s useful to be aware of this, reflect on it a little, and work out what might get in the way of our own compassion. Having boundaries makes complete sense. But our compassion can also be bounded by certain appraisals, judgements, biases that can often be brought to consciousness, examined, and softened or even discarded. So he...

In this video, I experience the practice of therapeutic humour under the kind and wise guidance of Mallori DeSalle and Dr Lodge McCammon. They demonstrate some warm up exercises, therapeutic exercises, and we have a lot of laughs! It was also interesting to consider how therapeutic humour might relate to compassion and self-compassion, as well as in the practice of compassion focused therapy (CFT)...

Going Mainstream (or trying to): Assessing compassionate action in clinical practice as part of routine outcome measurement. UQ CMRG One Day Symposium Say hi on social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drstansteindl Twitter: https://twitter.com/StanSteindl Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr_stan_steindl/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stan-steindl-150a5264/ Website: https://www.stans...

I’ve read, thought, talked, and written a lot about compassion, and so in this episode I wanted to give you 10 guiding principles for living a compassionate life, drawing not least on the work of Professor Paul Gilbert and compassion focused therapy! If you are interested in compassion or compassion focused therapy, check out The Gifts of Compassion from your favourite online bookstore. https://ww...

Something you'd never guess about me is that I love the Greek tragedies! Agamemnon and his family, Hippolytus, Phaedra and Theseus, and, of course, Oedipus, his father and mother. And the main themes of the Greek tragedies? Love, loss, power, pride…and shame. Let's think about shame from the point of view of the Greek tragedies, and consider where compassion might fit in.

Over a year has past since the last TCI podcast, but James and Stan are back with a new episode, jamming about all things compassion: compassion research, compassion focused therapy, and upcoming compassion conferences, not least, the UQ Compassion Symposium. That's a lot of compassion! Let us know your thoughts!!

What is self-criticism? Well, it comes in different forms and has different functions. And perhaps there is an alternative approach. Find out more here!